Next Weekend/Track Car. Thoughts?

Sooooo... I drive a company truck now during the week. Which has afforded me the opportunity to consider my next car purchase which will be primarily for weekend/track day use. How cool is that?!?!

My last track car was a cheap E36 BMW. This time around I was heading in the direction of an E46 BMW 330i/ci, possibly a ZHP. But... parts and maintenance are expensive. And a 10+ year old BMW would likely need both to be ready for some fun. I do work on my own cars some but am currently without comfortable wrenching facilities or a whole lotta time.

However, a friend of mine suggested looking at Hyundai Genesis's's's 3.8L Tracks. I'm kind of liking the idea. Affordable. Decent looking. First gen = 306 hp for under $15K. 2nd gen = 348 hp for $15Kish or more.  The reviews are generally positive. Aftermarket decent and appears affordable. There's a 2010 3.8L Track edition in my area with 7,750 miles for $13K.

Then there's the FRS. Lighter than Genesis but less hp. And smaller. But sharp looking. And perhaps better resale potential. Better handling than a Genesis?

Not a fan of the Infiniti G35/37.

Then there's the argument for something I can afford to walk away from if I wreck it. Without having to buy track day insurance. Not exactly an expense I can afford. Or rather, want to add to the expense of a track weekend. Which leads back to a higher mileage E46 BMW 330i/ci.

I'm actually more of a muscle car guy at heart but not into Stangs - Challengers kinda expensive and pig like - same for Camaros. Not really a "tuner" guy either but still seriously considering them Genesis's. I have most recently been in the intermediate group at track days. 

The primary requirements are:

Must be able to arrive and drive. Don't need any basketcases.

4 seats. Need to be able to stuff my 6' tall teenage daughters into the back seat. Don't care if they're cramped a little.

Under $15K. Preferably closer to $10K. Or the other end of the spectrum being something I can afford to walk away from without track day insurance.

I am open to all thoughts and suggestions related to the above information and any other thoughts you may have for cars that I should consider.

Have a wonderful day!

No question I’d go with whatcha know and back to the BMW world. 

(In the interest of full disclosure, I’ve been fantasizing about building an E36 way too much lately)

You're not getting anybody with legs in the "backseat" of an FR-S.  Treat it as a two seater with quite a bit of luggage space and it's great.  I love mine.

Ah, ok...from the thread title I thought you needed to find a track car by next weekend!

The Genesis is more of a sporting GT tourer than sports car. Though in some regards that make it closer to a muscle car. 

I don't think you'll stuff your daughters into the back of the Frisbee twins unless they're curled up & on their sides. 

I'd think you could buy/build a really nice 3rd or 4th gen Fbody well within your budget that would suit your needs well. What turns you off about them?

WRX??

I wonder if you can find an early Lancer Evo VIII in your budget? I bought one brand new in 2003 and had so much fun with that car. Commuting, winter driving, shopping, track stuff, rally school ... you name it, the Evo did it all. 

Hm, I always thought of the Genesis as a G35 knockoff. I saw one at a track day once but didn't get a whole lot of info on the owners impressions (he may have been a 1st timer). So nothing to add other than look hard at brakes & cooling, the usual suspects for a GT car on the track. Good Luck in your search!

The Genesis is HEAVY, so consider that when thinking about consumables.

I wouldn't worry about ZHP, personally. Plenty of upgrade paths with an E46 as well.

Is $15k the ENTIRE budget, or just the budget for the car?

That would buy a brand-spanking-new TonyKart Racer 401S KZ with a Vortex RKZ engine, and a massive toolbox and spares kit.

It'll do this: Gut-scrambling

I like WRX’s but there’s a reason you don’t see that many at track days. At least that’s something that’s been pointed out to me by seasoned track day participants. Same goes for Lancer EVOs.

I’ve considered 4th gen F bodies but have to put too much in to get anything out of it on the track. Not that excited by the looks of them. And not looking for a car that I have to “build”. That will hopefully be something I get to do at a later date when space and time are more available.

$15K is really my max budget. Again, want something I can get in and drive. Drive it on the street on the weekends. Drive to the track. Track it. Drive home. It’s understood consumables will be gone through. Hence the reason something around $10-$12K would be better. Mods will happen over time.

Hasn’t been mentioned but not really interested in Ford ST’s. My understanding is brakes and cooling are problem areas at the track. I sent my daughters out on a ride along at NCCAR last year in a Fiesta ST and the brake pedal on that car went to the floor. Fortunately, everyone made it back to the paddock safely.

And holy heck, those karts do look gut scrambling. My back hurts just watching them.

I like WRX’s but there’s a reason you don’t see that many at track days. 

 I think the key there is avoiding the temptation to try and make 500hp with it.  

E46 is the way to go here, based on your criteria. Easy to work on, sound basic design that lends itself to track work, plenty of good ones out there >10k. E91 is possible, but probably a better on the road than the track. E82 would be great if you didn't need the backseat.

Discussion always comes back around to E46 BMW. Which is it making it hard to decide.

At this point Genesis and E46 are front runners. No one here really voting for Genesis. 2010 pretty red 3.8L Track in my area with 7,750 miles for $13K. Brembo brakes, LSD, stiffer suspension and thicker anti-sway bars than standard. Seems like a heck of a value.

Also know where I can get a 2004 330ci ZHP with 135,000 miles for under $9K. No LSD or big brakes. Things that came on car as ZHP upgrades are old and mostly wore out at this point so no real value in that. Other than the ZHP designation among enthusiasts. But it’s red and awfully pretty too.

E46 M3 would be sweet but good ones with reasonable mileage are pricey. And some of their bits are worn out too due to age and use.

Maybe I just get a scooter... and go... Downtown. ($800 cash, that’s a hell of a deal!)

In reply to SHAKESBEARD :

I dunno. I beat the living crap out of my Evo VIII for 4 years and 60k miles. Tons and tons of track days. Totally bullet-proof. Never had a failure of any kind. When I sold it, we did a compression test and the engine was perfect. I was even on the stock clutch until we replaced it prophylactically at 50k miles.

It’s a heavy, powerful car that encourages a sideways driving style. Very hard on tires and brakes, as you’d expect.

For track days the only thing that matters is if you have fun with what your driving. 

Then things that suck the fun out it are as mentioned maintenance and running costs are stretching your budget; I loved driving my D-Sports Racer but hated owning it. Eventually the pain overtook the fun. 

Being lucky enough to drive everything from 700hp Vipers to 60hp Fiat X1/9s I can tell you they are all fun to drive. 

if you're a muscle car guy than something like an FRS or Miata, even if they fit 6ft tall daughters, isn't likely to be your cup of tea. At the last track day I went to I had a first time student with a new ZL1 Camaro, they basically said they know something like an FRS or Miata would make them a better driver but they just love horsepower cars. I'm cool with that, as this is supposed to be fun.

I'm also cheap so even if it's not the it car, the Genesis sounds like a good deal. The fact that it's more GT than outright sports car (even as track edition) could be a bonus. You won't to drive it on weekends so having something that doesn't knock your molers out is nice.

I'd be on board with an Evo as well, I remember the first MR I drove and made the comment that "this things like cheating". They seem to hold up well. I like the Impreza RS as well but they aren't very powerful.

I've found I enjoy momentum cars; you drive the living snot out of them to get anything out of them and I find that satisfying, as someone who instructs people tend to listen to you when you catch them with a 100whp car, they also play into my cheap nature but as mentioned for a muscle car guy that might not work.

BMWs are fantastic cars but that sounds like it will be a drag on your budget.

SHAKESBEARD said:

The primary requirements are:

Must be able to arrive and drive. Don't need any basketcases.

4 seats. Need to be able to stuff my 6' tall teenage daughters into the back seat. Don't care if they're cramped a little.

That first part rules out 15+years old BMW's

The second part says RX-8. 10K will buy you the best and latest (2009+ R3) RX-8 you can find and if you bring it to the track often, it will stay reliable. It keeps the engine clean. And they are not too bad on consumables...except gas.

Edit: Don't rule out a good Subaru STI. If you keep it stock and put an Accusump, they will be reliable on track. About 1/3 of the cars at track days are Subaru's around here and the only ones who have issues are the guys that are not stock.

Are you limited to one car to do transportation and track duty?  I could see where a track car and an appliance could be a good solution here.

C5 Vette. 

You say you like muscle cars, this is a muscle car that's not a pig or expensive and as a bonus is faster than anything mentioned here.  Also a great weekend cruiser.

Edit: nvm just saw 4 seats

I'm in the same boat. $10k limit. In fact, shooting for a few grand less than that so I can buy cool stuff like roll bar and harnesses.

E36 M3. Tremendous bang for the buck, cheap parts, plenty of cars out there but yeah, they are a bit old now. 

E46. I can't get past the extra weight, weak floorpan/subframe and more troublesome maintenance even though they are newer. I crossed these off the list for myself. I'd rather have the pluses of the E36 and deal with an older car.

S197 Mustang GT.  I know you don't dig on 'stangs but they are sturdy, reliable and have great upgrade potential. Granted you will spend a lot more on fuel, tires and brakes but it is worth it because V8.

None of the Japanese/Korean cars out there were terribly appealing. For what they cost, availability and general vanilla-ness driving dynamics of many of them I just couldn't get excited. Nissan Z? Kinda ugly. RX-7? Exploding engines. WRX? AWD is a much different way to get around a track than RWD.

I do agree the C5 Corvette is the biggest bargain out there...but it's a Corvette. You either dig that or you don't (and I don't). Plus, only 2 seats which matters to you but not me.

Holden GTO hasn't been mentioned. Portly cars and pray you never hit anything with one because the body parts are astronomical but it would fit most of your criteria.

I've decided on E36 M3 for myself. I like the cheap entry cost and affordable upgrades. Won't care much if it gets spun into a gravel trap or kisses a tire wall. Wipe it out? I can part out the drivetrain to some E30 guy.

I had this same question a while back and ended up with an e36 m3. I can’t recommend it highly enough. Parts are reasonably priced, it’s easy to work on, and an absolute blast to drive. They’re so much better than the sum of their parts. 

WRX is not fun on a track after being on track with both fwd and rwd cars IMO. My focus SVT rotated better and could trail break into a corner better, and my miata was just much more communicative

In reply to Jaynen :

The Evo is in a different league. The only AWD car I’ve ever driven that feels RWD.

CAVEAT: I’ve only owned a 3rd Gen (Evo VIII), but I’ve spent some time in the 1st Gen ( Evo II, III) and the 2nd Gen (Evo VI TME). I have no idea how the Evo X (4th Gen) does on track. 

This was my buddies stock 2015 WRX but it felt SLOW even with the stock 250+ horsepower and with sticky tires it still felt like you were fighting the front end all the time

Yea... I'm waffling now. Might go look at 7,750 mile Genesis tomorrow. Might go look at E36 M3. Had a 95' M3 for a bit. Bought it for weekends and track days. Crashed and totaled it at Deal's Gap (Tail of the Dragon for you non-locals). Never made it to the track.  I still miss that car. Had a 93' 325is after that. Took it to the track and it was a lot of fun for someone like me with only medium sized kahonies behind the wheel. Perhaps a little underpowered but fun.

Then there's the E46 M3.

And the C5 Corvette... (Kids can take the bus)

 (Where's the handgun emoticon when you need it.)

pushrod36 said:

Are you limited to one car to do transportation and track duty?  I could see where a track car and an appliance could be a good solution here.

Unfortunately, due to space limitations, a dedicated track car and appliance to haul it with are more or less out of the question... For now.